Another example of the rite of passage is that when Hoagland says, “I’m probably the only one in the whole world who actually remembers the year in high school, she perfected the art of being a dumb blond, spending recess on the breezeway by the physics lab, tossing her hair and laughing that canary trill, which was her specialty.” This shows that her perfectionist behavior really goes to the degree of pretending to be dumb and she was so desperate to fit in and be beautiful. Rather than having some good times playing with others, she is working on being pretty by tossing her hair and laughing to demonstrate her beautiful smile. The innocence of the author’s sister lead to this superficial definition of beauty. I think this transition from
